PODCAST · leisure
The Safe Room
by Abnormal Mapping
The Safe Room is a monthly survival horror game club podcast. Join hosts Grace (@grace_machine) and Rose (@BluestRose430) as we delve into the history of the survival horror genre, from popular classics to obscure gems. We’re going in deep, so break out your classic controllers and load up your emulators. If you can brave haunted mansions and obtuse puzzles, we’ll see you in The Safe Room!
Episodes
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Episode 47: Tormented Souls (+ Camp Miasma spoilercast)
cw: discussions of sexual assault and self harm On this episode of The Safe Room, we discuss about the 2021 indie survival horror game Tormented Souls! We talk about the ways it riffs on classics such as Resident Evil and Silent Hill, the game’s lack of daring storytelling, and the charm of a...
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Episode 46: Ib
This episode we cover the 2012 RPG Maker game Ib! We talk about the game’s simplistic-yet-subtle narrative, its playful level design, and its mature tone in comparison to…a certain game we’ve covered on the show previously. We also tackle a mountain of relationship discourse as grapple with the...
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Episode 45: FAITH: The Unholy Trinity
This episode, we cover the 8-bit inspired horror hit FAITH: The Unholy Trinity. We talk about the game’s undeniable style, its many unique frights, and the ways in which it improves throughout the course of its three chapters. We also discuss the game’s relationship to religion, especially in...
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Episode 44: Code Veronica X
Rose and Grace explore a secret island base in pursuit of Code Veronica! They discuss its melodrama, nineties-style transphobia, and its multitude of annoyances.
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Episode 43: Corpse Party
We visit the infamous Heavenly Lost Elementary School as we explore Corpse Party and many of its different versions. We talk about the ways in which it (mis)handles sensitive topics, the overbearing edginess of its horrors, and its large-but-mostly-bland ensemble cast of characters. In our Q&A...
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Episode 42: Flower, Sun and Rain
In the midst of a fierce winter storm, we hop on the first available flight to Lospass Island and explore Suda51’s infamous surrealist adventure game “Flower, Sun, and Rain”. We talk about the game’s uniquely mundane structure, examine the ways it borrows from Twin Peaks and David Lynch, and...
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Bonus Episode: Return to Silent Hill
Grace and Rose have returned to Silent Hill, this time summoned by Christophe Gans’ adaptation of Silent Hill 2. What awaits them on the other side of the fog?
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Episode 41: Slay the Princess
Grace and Rose dig into Slay the Princess and discuss its many routes, surprises, and ruminations on narrative storytelling. We also talk about the game’s tone and often grating dialogue between personalities. Lastly, we contemplate perhaps the most important question of all: Why doesn’t anyone...
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Episode 40: Silly Polly Beast
On this episode of The Safe Room, we tackle the new indie horror action game Silly Polly Beast. We praise the game’s art style and presentation, analyze its kinetic and tense combat, and discuss what constitutes a “Story-driven” video game. Lastly, we react to the Return to Silent Hill trailer…
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Episode 39: Silent Hill
Rose and Grace discuss the first (good) Silent Hill game since SH4! We talk over its deeply felt depiction of growing up, its introduction of real ensemble dynamics to the franchise, and its exhausting, repetitive, and thrilling combat.
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Episode 38: Dead Space 2
We are back with Dead Space 2! Grace and Rose talk the 2011 sequel’s action focus, its silly attempts at exploring survivors guilt, and edgy marking campaigns.
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Episode 37: Sweet Home
Rose and Grace enter the very heart of survival horror in Sweet Home. We talk over the genre's (now mostly-absent) RPG roots, the game's campy and self-aware charm, and its systemic adaptation of the source material.
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Episode 36: Parasite Eve (feat. Dovewhether)
We are joined by Dovewhether cohost AP to talk the sci-fi thriller Parasite Eve! We talk over the thrills and foibles of its retro vibes, how protagonist Arya Brea fits into 90s “strong female protagonists” and its weirdo action RPG combat. Listen to dovewhether:...
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Episode 35: D & D2 (feat. Cameron Kunzelman)
cw: suicide, self-harm, drug use Rose and Grace are joined by Cameron Kunzelman of Ranged Touch to talk over the Sega Saturn game D and its Dreamcast pseudo-sequel D2. We discuss how D2 at once presages the modern "cinematic" game and is something totally different, its wide swings at serious...
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Episode 34: Sorry We're Closed
Sorry, We're Closed is a lush and vivid look at relationships, love, and break-ups with shades of Buffy, Silent Hill 3, and Killer 7. Grace and Rose discuss its eroticism, grounded writing, and combat contrivances.
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Episode 33: Alisa
Alisa is both thematically light and aesthetically ornate, a loving, smart throwback that is super annoying. In this episode, Grace and Rose work through how exactly it curates such a clockwork feast and how it manages to grate and delight in equal measure. Next time: Sorry, We’re Closed
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Episode 32: Fatal Frame: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse
We return to the Fatal Frame franchise with its Nintendo debut, this time with a new co-developer Grasshopper Manufacture. Join us as we discuss the game’s various Wii-era “innovations,” the many facets of its bloated story, and whether this moonlit adventure shines as bright as previous entries…
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Episode 31: Indika
The Safe Room takes a detour into the surreal and absurd with 2024’s Indika. We discuss the game’s commentary on religion, the unique and entertaining formal choices the game makes, and the second hand pain of playing a video game that features a bunch of straight people. Also, this was nominated...
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Episode 30: Pathologic 2
cw: suicide, death, the plague Grace and Rose enter the plagued town and explore its thematic shades of death and life, roles and personhood, ease and difficulty that permiate its walls and earth. Find some bread and meat and sit down with us!
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Bonus Episode: Sounds of 2024
I wanted to get a Handheld Talk episode out for the holiday but unfortunately, due to my own carelessness, my files for that have been lost. Instead, enjoy this little playlist I threw together featuring songs from games we played this year. Hope you enjoy! See you soon for our Pathologic 2...
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Episode 29: Rule of Rose
cw: suicide, bullying, animal/pet cruelty, animal/pet death In this episode of The Safe Room, Grace and Rose discuss the cult classic 2006 survival horror game Rule of Rose. We talk about the game’s non-linear narrative, how it handles themes of bullying and abuse, and the legacy it leaves behind...
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Episode 28: Silent Hill 2 (2024)
cw: suicide, sexual assault, domestic abuse, alcoholism It’s time. We delve into the Silent Hill 2 Remake and discuss its handling of the originial game’s themes, the new (and pretty good) combat system, and how it handles (and mishandles) key scenes from the original game. We top it all off with…
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Episode 27: Crow Country
We talk the toy-like and immaculate Crow Country. We discuss the game's elegant take on survival horror, its consideration of childhood, nostalgia, and its characterful writing. After some listener questions, we get into a sprawling convo about Souls games, the Internet Archive, and our…
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Episode 26: Dead Space
Content warning: general gore and violence, body horror and limb dismemberment, ableism, misogyny. In this episode, we strategically dismember both versions of 2008 classic Dead Space. We talk about differences, downgrades, and improvements across versions, decide just how good the guns feel to...
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Episode 25: Killer7
Content Warnings: general violence, suicide, discussion of abuse and child sexual assault from 59:00 to 1:06:00 Grace and Rose explore the at-once simplified and maximalist survival horror action of Killer7! We talk about the thematic power of its ~vibes~, its surprisingly sharp sense of humor…
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Episode 24: The Silver Case
We talk about the classic detective visual novel The Silver Case! We discuss police procedurals, visual novel aesthetics, mysticism vs. science fiction, and why games should be like television.
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Episode 23: Fatal Frame III The Tormented
We talk about the “compilation” game Fatal Frame III: The Tormented which attempts to wrap its two prior games into an overarching narrative, with poignant and evocative results. We discuss its many annoyances, its ambitious structure, terrifying ghosts, and all-timer final cutscene. Post...
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Episode 22: Her Story and Immortality
Content Warnings: sexual assault, death by fire, suicide, self-harm We discuss modern FMV games Her Story and Immortality. We discuss these cinematic narrative games, their sometimes dazzling, sometimes uneven structures, and have big thoughts about writing narratives games so concentrated on…
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Episode 21: The Evil Within 2
We talk about the unsurprisingly competent and surprisingly comprehensible The Evil Within 2. We discuss the game’s new “open level” structure, even while it imports most of what made The Evil Within so good, how (and whether) the conventional story landed for us, and our favorite bosses and...
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Episode 20: Resident Evil (2002)
Grace and Rose close out the year with the classic Resident Evil 2002 remake. We discuss the beauty of its fixed camera angles and pre-rendered backgrounds, the weirdly arbitary difference in difficulty between the two protagonists, and about how tank controls are good, actually. Towards the end…
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Episode 19: Alan Wake 2
Content Warnings: Suicide, domestic violence, general horror gore In this ocean-sized episode we tackle the FMV-soaked marvel that is Alan Wake II. We talk about how this feels both like a culmination and maturation of Remedy’s work over the past 20 years and how this is still kinda the same as…
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Episode 18: Serial Experiments Lain
Content Warnings: Self-Harm, Suicide, Freud (Oedipal Complex) Through the electric wires, a strange image appears on your TV… it’s Serial Experiments Lain the video game! We talk about the visual novel inflected adaptation? Retelling? of the classic anime. Discussion includes multimedia...
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Episode 17: The Evil Within
In this episode of The Safe Room, we discuss the awe-inspiring craft of The Evil Within, its disappointing final third, and its campy, haunted-house-style level design. This is prossibly the most fun we've had with a game so far. We match that energy in a goofy and freeform ep.
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Episode 16: Alan Wake
The Safe Room returns with our episode on the 2010 cult hit Alan Wake! We discuss the game’s abundance of Stephen King and Twin Peaks references, its middiling combat system, and its relationship to other Remedy games. In our questions segement, we talk about games that are elevated by their...
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Episode 15: Fatal Frame II Crimson Butterfly
Hot off the heels of Fatal Frame, we jump straight into the game’s beloved sequel. We talk about the game’s mechanical improvements, its overall scarier tone, and its narrative shortcomings. During our listener questions segment, we talk Fatal Frame compared to Pokemon Snap, and discuss the games...
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Episode 14: Fatal Frame
The Safe Room returns to the world of survival horror with Fatal Frame! We talk about looking *as* horror, what makes a jump scare effective, and Fatal Frame’s place within found footage. Next Time: Fatal Frame II
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Episode 13: Dino Crisis 3
Dino Crisis goes to space in this mega episode, where we talk about Majora’s Mask, Dishonored, and answer quite a few listener questions to celebrate the launch of our new Patreon! And avoid talking about a game that we don’t like very much. Also somehow we talk about Tar again. Next Time: Fatal...
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Episode 12: Milk inside a bag of milk inside a bag of milk and Milk outside a bag of milk outside a bag of milk
content warnings: depression, suicide, self-harm, ableism, parental abuse We (slightly) side-step normal coverage to talk about the twin horror visual novels: Milk Inside a Bag of Milk Inside a Bag of Milk and Milk Outside a Bag of Milk Outside a Bag of Milk. We discuss the game’s relationship to...
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Episode 11: Dino Crisis 2
We finally did it… we played a bad video game. In this tangent laden episode, we talk about Dino Crisis’s silly action set-pieces, flat adventure design, and nonsensical plot. We also go off about hazy memories of Resident Evil 5, BioShock’s absurdity, and transferring survival horror ideas into…
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Episode 10: Signalis
Grace and Rose play the yuri-tinged, sci-fi horror hit and try to identify how the game manages to forge its own path despite its constant barrage of influences. We talk about its tricky and well-telegraphed puzzles, its lack of fixed camera angles, how much of the game is about maps, and what…
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Episode 9: Dino Crisis
Content warning: dinosaurs In our first podcast of 2023, our hosts talk about the Capcom survival horror classic Dino Crisis! We discuss the game’s similarities and differences to Resident Evil, the usuage of survival horror mechanics to create tension for the player, and it’s various homages to...
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Episode 8: Nanashi no Game and ANATOMY
cw: suicide, self-harm, murder, body horror, strong horror themes It’s a double feature here in the Safe Room, with Japanese-only cult classic Nanashi no Game (The Nameless Game) from Square Enix and itch horror classic Anatomy by Kittyhorrorshow. We talk about the limits, and power, of formal...
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Episode 7: Silent Hill 4: The Room
cw: blood, gore, murder, suicide, immolation, parental neglect, possession, entrapment Rose and Grace wander the haunted halls of Silent Hill 4: The Room. There’s much to discuss in this both maligned and beloved entry and we touch on its prediction of modern horror gaming trends, its fantastic...
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Episode 6: Luigi's Mansion
Rose and Grace won a mansion! But it turns out it was haunted. :( We talk about the beloved Luigi’s Mansion, the survival horror influences it wears on its sleeve, and just how good it feels to use that vacuum. We also take some time out to talk about the recent Silent Hill news, as well as some...
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Episode 5: Silent Hill 3
In this chaotic and offbeat episode, Grace and Rose visit the foggy streets of Silent Hill once again! Silent Hill 3 inspires talk about sequels, the perils of game preservation, what it means to care for or have reverence for a medium’s history. It’s also a very funny (and scary) game, so we…
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Episode 4: Fragile Dreams: Farewell Ruins of the Moon
We talk about cult classic Fragile Dreams and its melancholy apocalypse, sad and warm short stories, and anime bullshit. We also talk about the distinct differences between Fragile Dreams and other games of its kind, swap our favorite moments, and joke about Nier and BioShock. A listener even…
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Episode 3: Silent Hill 2
Through the mist, through the ages, the town of Silent Hill calls us once again. We talk about this survival horror classic, which is still a shockingly powerful video game. We discuss the ambiguities of what exactly Silent Hill is, and who it is a danger to, its measured and appropriately…
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Episode 2: The Thing
In this second episode, Ryan and Grace discover what lurks in the hearts of men… The Thing! This 2002 spin-off/sequel to the horror classic is janky and silly as hell. We try to unpack how it works as an adaptation, what it preserves and what it leaves behind, as well as swap stories about the…
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Episode 1: Silent Hill
In the foggy shroud of anonymous America, Ryan and Grace talk about Silent Hill. We break down a truly masterful and confident Survival Horror game, laugh at the ways it can be kind of silly, get excited about its eerie level design and camera work, and get confused about what exactly the game is...
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The Safe Room Episode 0: An Introduction
Join Grace and Ryan as they introduce The Safe Room by talking about their history with horror movies and games! Next month: Silent Hill!
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
The Safe Room is a monthly survival horror game club podcast. Join hosts Grace (@grace_machine) and Rose (@BluestRose430) as we delve into the history of the survival horror genre, from popular classics to obscure gems.
We’re going in deep, so break out your classic controllers and load up your emulators. If you can brave haunted mansions and obtuse puzzles, we’ll see you in The Safe Room!
HOSTED BY
Abnormal Mapping
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does The Safe Room have?
The Safe Room currently has 50 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is The Safe Room about?
The Safe Room is a monthly survival horror game club podcast. Join hosts Grace (@grace_machine) and Rose (@BluestRose430) as we delve into the history of the survival horror genre, from popular classics to obscure gems. We’re going in deep, so break out your classic controllers and load up your...
How often does The Safe Room release new episodes?
The Safe Room has 50 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to The Safe Room?
You can listen to The Safe Room on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts The Safe Room?
The Safe Room is created and hosted by Abnormal Mapping.
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